With that signing, the cap really did come off for 'quality' Missouri recruits. There's no longer any reason that a premier Missouri recruit shouldn't strongly consider the hometown squad - we can run with these guys.

With that signing, the cap really did come off for 'quality' Missouri recruits. There's no longer any reason that a premier Missouri recruit shouldn't strongly consider the hometown squad - we can run with these guys.

Elliott will be an extremely intriguing trail to follow.

I've heard from a buddy in Ohio that Meyer is recruiting him as "the next Percy Harvin." Which seems like a perfect usage of Elliott's skill set.

Kid is a monster in the classroom, too - John Burroughs HS is one of the top schools in the Midwest. He'll be able to go wherever he wants.

BTW, have you heard anything new about Josey? Does it look like he'll be able to play next year?

Talk to Idaho about that one.

I'm still of the mind that they'll redshirt him in 2012 and have him ready for 2013. Idaho seems to have closer sources than I do; I mostly just listen to rumblings and have a few alumni co-workers that are pretty significant donors (tens of thousands, but not hundreds...)

Idaho seems to have closer sources than I do; I mostly just listen to rumblings and have a few alumni co-workers that are pretty significant donors (tens of thousands, but not hundreds...)

My sources aren't what they were when I was at Sporting News, but my Mizzou group is still pretty good. I occasionally get some stuff from friends in the media who can't go "on record" with it (and my sources include a former BoC member). I'm trying to work on a new one... my neighbor's best friend is married to one of the football GAs. If I could get that one open...

PowerMizzou helps a ton with keeping track of the recruiting stuff (not so much the info, but keeping a finger on who's on the offer list/who the big targets are. Much easier to find folks in the free database if you've seen an article about them).

Mizzou and Arkansas appear to be on a collision course as future permanent cross-divisional rivals in the Southeastern Conference, a topic believed to have been in discussion at last week's SEC meetings and probably at another one today in New Orleans.

On Tuesday, Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin confirmed by Twitter what South Carolina president Harris Pastides had strongly hinted several days ago: that A&M of the SEC West, initially set as MU's cross-division rival for annual football games, will instead be paired with South Carolina of the SEC East.

"Just had a great conversation with the South Carolina president about our permanent SEC rivalry," Loftin tweeted. "We will make this very special!"

Arkansas and South Carolina had a history as cross-divisional rivals.

With MU assigned to the East and Arkansas in the West, a series between them has seemed appealing and logical all along. The schools are about 300 miles apart.

"Arkansas and Missouri have kind of buddied up because they are neighboring states and wanted to play each other," South Carolina president Harris Pastides told a Columbia, S.C., television station.

However, at Mizzou, officials either didn't know or couldn't confirm the impending pairing.

"I have no idea," football coach Gary Pinkel said. "I talked to Mike (Alden), and every meeting he's ever been in, it's never even been discussed. That's what he said to me. And at the head coaches meeting, that wasn't even discussed. So I don't know anything about it."

Pinkel had been interested in keeping A&M as Mizzou's cross-division rival so that Missouri could keep a closer tie with the state of Texas for football recruiting.

"I don't want to comment," Pinkel said. "Since I don't have any control over it, it doesn't really matter."

By text message, Mizzou spokesman Chad Moller said he'd heard nothing official; MU associate athletics director Mark Alnutt, who works with football scheduling, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Arkansas spokesman Kevin Trainor, calling on behalf of Arkansas athletics director Jeff Long, also said the school had no official information.

Based on comments from LSU's AD, it sounds like LSU will replace their annual Thanksgiving week game against Arky with A&M, which should create an opportunity for an annual Mizzou-Arky game that week. I'm not certain the SEC will do that though, because usually your last regular season game is against a division team.

It will be interesting to see Mizzou's recruiting shift over the next year or two. We will still get a handful from Texas every year even without an annual game against A&M, but I expect we will start digging into Georgia and Florida heavily, with some poaching from Big Ten states.

I think we are also seeing the early signs of the SEC move with in-state kids. It is a pretty compelling pitch to tell a kid and his parents that he can play in the best conference in the nation and also stay home so his family and friends can watch him play. We may lock down the state starting this season.